Q School success ranks higher than beating Ronnie O’Sullivan for Aaron Hill

Even sinking Ronnie O’Sullivan in his debut season comes a distant second in the career of Cork 20-year-old Aaron Hill, who fought through a nerve-shredding final day of Q School in Sheffield to retain his place on the professional snooker tour for the next two years.

Hill was one of four players to emerge from the second of three back-to-back events staged in the bowels of the Ponds Forge leisure centre, which give anyone willing to stump up the £1,000 entry fee the opportunity to win through at least five rounds and earn the right to rub shoulders with the stars of the game.

Hill was seen as one of those potential bright young things when he beat O’Sullivan 5-4 in the last 64 of the European Masters in 2020 in his first month on the professional tour, but he struggled for momentum and finished the season as one of the unfortunates to face the agony of having to head back into a uniquely cut-throat environment.

“To be sitting here after getting through Q School is a much bigger achievement than beating Ronnie,” admitted a plainly relieved Hill after a 4-1 win over China’s Zhao Jianbo.

“There was much more pressure out there and I think it is probably the biggest achievement of my life. I was thrown in at the deep end on the tour and didn’t expect it to be as tough as it was. But I have got a second chance and I am determined to make the most of it.”

The stakes could hardly have been higher for the eight players who emerged from a starting field of 127 to sit one more best-of-seven win away from a guaranteed two-year tour card on Friday.

For the loser, it would simply be a case of returning to round one of the final tournament, due to begin next week, in the hope of preserving their livelihood.

Q School, which was